- Carly Smithson, "Come Together": She had a hard time putting together consistently good performances (she tended to get shouty or hit flat notes) but I still think she has the best voice of the female competition, if only she would relax her voice and flow with it. I did really like her last performance of "Jesus Christ, Superstar" but I think her best was probably during the Top12 Beatles week. It's nice to hear a woman on "Come Together"; she's at home with the vibe and on stage, hits most of the notes on pitch and rocks the house.
- David Cook, "You'll Always Be My Baby": I know most people think he's just like Daughtry, but I like his voice and his arrangements usually work for him, and I would probably buy his album. I was super vulnerable to this performance as this has always been my favorite Mariah Carey song, and he rocked it.
- Michael Johns, "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right": Personally, in terms of voice, I thought he should end up in the Top 3, but sadly it wasn't meant to be. I suppose he could get a little shouty at times, but he usually had great stage presence, and during Dolly Parton week he sang one of the best vocals of the season. Whenever I hear him sing, at some point I inevitably say, "God, he needs to sing some Bruce Springsteen!" I really feel like his voice would complement a Springsteen song. I just love his voice on this one though, and the piano with sparse electric guitar was a fantastic arrangement choice.
- David Cook, "Hello": There's a reason I'm rooting for him to win! Considering that the original version of this is such a cheesy song, it's saying a lot that this is a song I would actually go out and buy. I think his voice is really strong and fitting in his chosen arrangement, and I did actually download and listen to this cut repeatedly.
And while this isn't a performance from this season, this is perhaps the best performance I have ever seen from this show. Kelly Clarkson rocks a mean "Stuff Like That There"; I know there have been more impressive vocals on ballads (especially from the array of Season 3 divas) but this song is a really difficult arrangement with a lot of tonal and stylistic shifts and Clarkson is up for the challenge. Plus, I find her incredibly appealing on stage - she performs like a pro.
And one more thing on "Idol" - there was a great article in an issue of Entertainment Weekly a few weeks ago that laid out some suggestions for making the show better next year. I agreed with almost all the ideas (less commercial/product placement!, longer performances!) and thought I'd provide a link here. Also, good news already, when unveiling their schedule for next year Fox revealed that the results shows will only be half an hour! Yay, less boring filler! (Not that I was watching anyway.)
4 comments:
David Cook all the way!! Archeleta is good, but he sounds the same with every song. David Cook changes things around and makes the song is own. (Do I sound like Paula?)
No, you're much more coherent than Paula.
This season sucked to me, but they do pull you in, don't they?
My favorite by far was David Cook singing Lionel Richie. Love it!
I agree with Heather, Melanie; it made sense to me. :)
I have always purposefully avoided "American Idol" so as not to be sucked in, and when I didn't live with my mom I was successful. But this year, I was here, and therefore was forced to watch. So I can't really speak as to the talent level of other seasons. I agree that there were many underwhelming performances this year though.
I have liked it from Day One. The talent has sure changed over the years though. The top 20 the first year would not have even made it to the top 20 this year at all. Kelly Clarkson was the only good one out of that year.
I was happy with this years to 20. There were so many different types of singers and I liked that they brought the instruments into the mix.
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